Let us not kid ourselves. This ain’t a daily or weekly recipe, folks. It is a super indulgent (yet nutrient-dense) cheese dip, usually made for parties, and it’s a real crowd pleaser.
Serve with sourdough crackers or homemade tortilla chips!
This recipe shows us a great use for older kimchi, which softens and loses its crunchy texture as it ages. I notice the texture of my cabbage kimchi start to get soft after about a month and a half in the fridge.
Note that cooking fermented foods above 140°F/60°C will destroy their probiotic content. But you will still enjoy the organic acids, digestive enzymes and added vitamins created during fermentation, which are less sensitive to heat and survive cooking.
Kimchi Cheezy Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. (227g) 1 brick cream cheese
- 8 oz. (227g) sour cream check out our homemade versions here and here
- 14 oz. (400g) canned artichoke hearts
- 4 oz. (125g) blue cheese
- 4 oz. (125g) cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 oz. (60ml) milk kefir here's our kefir recipe
- 1/2 cup (120ml) finely chopped kale (about 3 large leaves), any variety
- 1/2 cup (125ml) kimchi especially very mature kimchi
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C.
- Let cream cheese come to room temperature.
- Drain liquid from artichoke hearts. Mix kale and kimchi in a food processor until it's chunky, with a chopped salad consistency.
- Combine vegetable mixture and all other ingredients except cheddar cheese into a 1 or 2 quart/liter oven safe dish. Crumble blue cheese, and stir together with a fork or a potato masher until smooth. It may take some effort to break down the cream cheese. Even out the top of the mixture.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar evenly across top.
- Bake 20 minutes.
- Turn oven broiler to high, and broil 5 minutes or until cheese on top begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Refrigerate unused portion. Keeps about a week in refrigerator. Reheat before serving.
Recipe references: homemade sour cream , kefir sour cream, traditional kimchi
